Everyone from errant husbands to potential terrorists can be tracked through the Internet and computers these days, and Paul G. Lewis is an expert at both.

P.G. Lewis & Associates in Clinton specializes in data forensics, which means computer security issues related
to white collar crime.

“We are the detectives who go to the computer system after a white collar crime has been committed to find
out what digital assets have been stolen and what has been done with them,” Lewis said. “We do primarily
corporate work, but we also get involved with law enforcement for homeland security and in some high-wealth
divorce and domestic cases.”

The issue of what is safe on the Internet or in a computer system and what is pro-tected or is vulnerable is of
prime importance to Lewis, as it is to all businesses today.

Although he is not free to divulge details, Lewis said his firm is involved in a homeland security issue that has
involved innocent looking pictures being sent by email from Indonesia. However, using the correct program to
open the pictures reveals imbedded information.

“In another case much closer to home, a wealthy couple is divorcing and we are trying to track assets he has
moved digitally to try to hide them,” Lewis said. “In another case, we pinpointed the location of an ex-husband
who kidnapped his children and left the country and then sent harassing emails to his former wife.”

More commonly, though, Lewis’s firm is involved in tracking corporate information and assets that have been
stolen by a disgruntled or former employee.

“The worst thing a company can do is to let their information technology people try to find this data,” Lewis
cautioned. “We maintain a chain of evidence that is admissible in court.”

The safety of computer and digitalized information is of prime concern to all businesses today.

“The whole core of any business is the business’s information,” said Andrea Kirchuk of Triad Consulting
Group, Inc., based in Washington. “You can replace equipment if it is lost, what you cannot replace is the data.”

Kirchuk is chairwoman of the business technology committee of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce,
which evaluates technology related issues and updates business owners on the newest trends. Triad works with businesses in upgrading technology and protecting data.

“Every business has to determine where it is vulnerable, both from within the company and from the outside,”
she said. “A company cannot function without the Internet in today’s market. Each company has to know where it
can retrieve its data, where it is backed up, if there is a problem.”

Linda Hetcher, vice president of professional services from Concurrent Technologies in Liberty Corner agreed.
Concurrent Technologies deals with mid-size and large companies on technology and security issues.

“First, companies need to know who has access to their data from within. They need to understand the
physical safeguards that are being applied to their data and systems. For example, their data bases and servers belong in a secured data center where access can be controlled and monitored,” Hetcher said.

“Second, clients need to be aware that security measures should be applied on a network basis. Whether access is done through the Web or through a private network, firewalls and special encryption techniques help to protect their data and support secure data transfer,” she said.

“Finally, they need to know, once a person has access to their data or systems, there should be additional
controls on what they can see and what they can do based on granted permissions,” Hetcher added.

Concurrent Technologies designs and develops custom technology solutions for a diverse clientele including
Fortune 500 companies, financial services, insurance, telecommunications, healthcare companies, and not-for-profit organizations. The firm deals with many insurance and health industry companies, both of which need special controls for client information.

“We put the best security measure in place,” Hetcher said, “but everyone needs to understand that the risk
model is continually changing. You have to be ready at all times to address new issues. This is not a process that you ever complete. What this means is that a company’s system security and data privacy policy needs to be updated on a regular basis.”

Scott Palsgrove, sales manager for Net Access Corporation in Parsippany, agrees.

“One of the most important aspects of business is to have redundant data centers — to have your information in
more than one place so that you do not lose information,” Palsgrove said. “At the same time, you have to think of
security. We want our customers to learn and protect themselves before there is a problem, not to learn from a
mistake.”

For smaller businesses and individuals, virus scans, backing up data at the end of each day, and building
firewalls to protect from outside incursion are the important issues, said Gordon Bridge, the owner of Computer
Moms based in Mendham and a member of the Chamber’s business technology committee.

“The worst viruses can corrupt your entire system,” Bridge said. “Most people are protected from that. But
what they may not be thinking of is someone hacking in from the outside.

“If someone breaks into your system and steals your customer list or your pricing information, it hurts your
business,” he warned. “There are a lot of aspects to the security issue.”